People identify being Catholic with receiving the sacraments, and
rightly so. When approaching a parish for a sacrament, they are asked
whether they are registered. Again, if someone comes through the
office door for an affidavit to be a godparent or sponsor, they are told
that they need to be currently active. The operative questions then
become: “What does it mean to be registered in a parish?” and “What is
necessary to be considered active?”
Surely, being actively registered must mean more than simply filling
out a piece of paper. If receiving a sacrament or being a sponsor was
only a matter of adding data to the parish computer, what would be the
point?
Being registered is to be signed up at a particular parish, this parish
and not another one. Being actively registered means being
regularly involved in the life of a local Catholic-Christian family. Above
all, it entails attending the Eucharistic celebration each
Sunday, thus sharing in the worship of God with one’s fellow brothers
and sisters in Christ. It is one of the precepts of the Church, and
necessary to be Catholic in more than just a nominal or superficial way.
Being actively registered means participating in the life of the parish,
namely by offering one’s help, skills and/or talents. It might be
considered an extension and complement to tithing. We are very much
a collective entity, the sum total of all the goodness that parishioners
freely offer to make their second spiritual home one that is beautiful,
welcoming and effective. Being involved is doing what one can to
maintain and better one’s church.
A precept of the Church, not the most important, yet necessary
nonetheless, is regular tithing or financial support. It is an obligation
which grows as an individual becomes more and more dedicated to the
overall mission of a parish family and that of the universal Church. At
the beginning, we are just happy to have you among us! The amount
expected would never cause hardship, but neither should it be merely a
token gesture. A bustling parish has many costs in its efforts to provide
great service to the local community, and its members ensure that it
has the means to do so. We would like that people give what they can
joyfully, happy they can help out. On our side, we trust that God
provides us with all that we need.
One might add showing up with an upbeat attitude and spirit of
Christian charity, as opposed to harboring resentment because one
feels reluctantly obliged to do something that has not yet been
wholeheartedly embraced. Do I hear an “Amen!”?
The reception of a sacrament then, crowns the life of faith actively
being lived in a local parish setting. This outlook is opposed to a
fast food drive-through approach, where individuals “pull up to the
parish window, order what they want, and then speed away” until the
next sacrament is needed. Unfortunately, there are some who have
taken on this second mentality.
For this reason, we ask newcomers to complete four months of pre-
registration, to show interest in becoming an active member of our
local parish community, and to familiarize themselves with it. It is also
our period of re-activation for already-registered parishioners who
have been away for a considerable amount of time, yet now seek
something from us, or better, wish to renew their presence here.
This entails 1) verifying your weekly Mass attendance at our parish
each Sunday with the attendance person outside the church, 2) turning
in one of the white tithing envelopes each week with the amount you
decide, however little, 3) taking a tour of the parish with the pastor or
one of the parishioners sometime within those four months and 4)
participating in one of our functions, even simply joining us for tacos
after Mass.
Of course, four months does not guarantee genuine interest, but it’s a
start!
If you would like to become part of our parish family, say hello to
the pastor, visit the office and we will direct you to our online pre-
registration and/or re-activation form.
Pre-registration &
Re-activation